The split-venue womenswear show served up a first look at autumn trends.

The Saatchi Gallery won the battle of the locations on the opening day of Scoop, as buyers started their Sunday there before heading to the Phillips gallery later in the afternoon.

Brands were pleased with the buyer turnout across the two venues on the first day of the three-day show. Tim Taubman, director of young fashion brand Charlie Jade Europe, which showed at the Saatchi, said: “In the first two hours we’d seen four UK boutiques, including Stephen Lawrence in Chichester. There’s a great mood here and we picked up UK stockists [such as The Dressing Room in St Albans] after last season so we’re glad to be back.”

Danielle Barbiero, global sales executive at Eileen Fisher, whose stand was at the Saatchi Gallery, said the brand had seen plenty of buyers from the UK, Italy, France and South Korea. “There has been more international presence than we’ve ever seen,” she said.

Across the two locations there were 411 exhibitors, with 50 new to the show this season. Running three weeks earlier than in 2013, Scoop provided an early indication of some of the major womenswear trends to emerge this season, such as chunky roll-neck jumpers and real and faux fur. As with menswear, womenswear brands have placed a strong emphasis on developing their fabrications, such as increasing leather and cashmere and focusing on separates, with layering pieces standing out for autumn.

Maison Olivia

Maison Olivia

After two seasons selling in the UK, four-year-old Italian brand Maison Olivia has moved on from its usual fare of cocktail dresses to focus on separates for autumn 14. These include cropped, bomber-style jackets, flared skirts and shell tops, which are all introduced for the first time. Key colours include black and taupe, with pink and bold blue accents. Wholesale prices range from €40 (£32.97) for tops, €68 (£56.05) for skirts and €100 (£82.43) for dresses.

Turnover

Turnover

This Dutch brand is relaunching into the UK for autumn 14 after a two-year hiatus. It returns with a more relaxed collection, with an emphasis on easy-to-wear pieces such as reversible cardigans, Sherlock Holmes-inspired capes and oversized woollen coats. Monochrome and navy are the dominant colours in the chic 250-piece collection. Wholesale prices start at £14.50 for basic jersey pieces, £57 for dresses and £130 for coats, with a £220 lambswool coat the collection’s highest-priced item.

Needle

Needle

North Yorkshire-based Needle showed for the first time at Scoop, hoping to double its UK stockists from four to eight. Its range features a felted jacket and an update on its best-selling cable-knit jumper, in grey and navy. Other colours in the collection include claret, khaki and sky blue. Wholesale prices range from £16.07 for a hat to £98 for a felt coat.

Eileen Fisher

Eileen Fisher

Carrying on from spring 14, Eileen Fisher pursues a younger customer for autumn, with trend-led details such as zips across jumpers and more leather pieces, including trousers and gilets. It also debuted a capsule collection, The Fisher Project, in which key pieces such as a silk jumpsuit ($168/ £102.27) are being tested to gauge consumer response to edgier designs. Wholesale prices range from $28 (£17.05) for basics to about $178 (£108.36) for cashmere and $228 (£138.80) for coats.

N 109

N 109

New French brand N 109 debuted its first collection at Scoop, which comprises a range of embellished and printed sweatshirts. All prints are designed by founder Wanda Herbert, who is targeting Fenwick, Matches and The Shop at Bluebird with her 35-piece collection. Standout items include rose and feather motifs embroidered with sequins. Despite the decoration, the collection is machine washable. Wholesale prices start at €50 (£41.21) for a musical note-printed sweatshirt to €65 (£53.57) for a silk top or heavily embroidered piece.

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Air & Grace

Air and Grace

Former Aldo managing director Claire Burrows unveiled her new footwear brand Air & Grace at Scoop. The collection features four ballet pump styles named after art galleries, one of which is Phillips, the same location in which the brand exhibited at the trade show. The shoes come in 30 options including animal print, coloured leather and diamanté. Burrows plans to expand into heels, boots and wedges for spring 15. Wholesale prices start at £44.50 for a basic pump to £61 for a style with a brooch attached.

Buyers’ views

“It’s a really good show but personally I didn’t think it had many cool brands. I was looking for something new and fresh but couldn’t find anything; everyone is selling the same types of thing. But I do think the show is wonderful. It doesn’t bother me that it is split between two locations as they lay on buses and taxis. I feel optimistic about spring but so far I feel quite disappointed about autumn because I haven’t seen much new stuff.”

Helene Rapaport, owner of Bernard Boutique in Esher, Surrey

“The Saatchi was buzzing, much more than we’ve ever seen it before and we’ve been coming to Scoop from the start. As a space, I prefer the Phillips gallery to the Saatchi, but it needed a few more people on the Sunday. I understand what Scoop is doing; it’s all very London and it’s lovely, but fewer of my designers showed there this season, such as Chie Mahara, so as far as labels were concerned it wasn’t as good for us as it has been before.”

Samantha Rolfe, director of Concrete Catwalk in Leigh-on-Sea

“I never go to trade shows - I normally do my buying in showrooms - so this is my first time at Scoop after it was recommended to me by several agents. I’ve loved it, it’s a great show. At the Saatchi Gallery I particularly liked [French label] Axara, [Italian brand] Fairly and [French brand] Marie Sixtine, which I wasn’t familiar with and is sold by agent Palladio. I’ve been told [by other buyers] that it has a great sell-through at around 90%.”

Emma Martin, owner of Miss E in Glasthule, Dublin

“We love how the show is put together, although it would be better if it was all in one place. It seemed busier downstairs in the Saatchi, and talking to the designers, those upstairs thought it was quieter. We focused on British brands and we look for UK manufacturing; we found more of them in the Phillips gallery. Overall, we saw three or four brands which were exactly what we were looking for: Village England and Beautiful Soul really stood out.”

Saumen Kar, director of etailer London Ethnic

Trends

Roll-neck jumpersChunky roll-necks were everywhere at Scoop, seen on jumpers at brands including Turnover, 360Sweater and Johnstons of Elgin (which highlighted a cream roll-neck as its key piece), or as features on knit dresses, such as at AV by Adriana Voloshchuk.

These layering pieces work well with the oversized coat trend, which continues this season.

Moody blues

Dark shades of navy and midnight blue were popular across many collections, including 120% Cashmere and Eileen Fisher, giving a rich tone to separates such as blouses and knitwear. The blues were also picked up by brands such as Stills, coming through as steel blue, which makes for a lighter accent in otherwise dark autumn palettes.

Fur

There was an abundance of fur among brands’ collections at Scoop. From coats at The Soho Furrier to sheepskin accessories at Gushlow & Cole, brands were not afraid to use head-to-toe animal pelts. Others stuck to fake, with Sand (pictured) tagging its faux fur with ‘I Am Fake’ labels.

Soft-handle fabrics

There was a strong focus on quality fabrics, with soft-to-the-touch pieces at many brands. Day Birger et Mikkelsen used a cashmere and angora mix to create luxurious-feel knits, while Virginie Castaway chose velvet for its trousers. Cashmere and soft silk were also popular choices.

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